1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of cooking appliances. More specifically, the present invention, in an exemplary embodiment, relates to a cooking appliance for cooking a material requiring a liquid such as water, the appliance comprising a hopper for containing the material and a source of the liquid where cooking the material is automated under the control of a controller. More specifically still, the present invention, in an exemplary embodiment, relates to a cooking appliance such as a rice cooker where cooking the rice is automated under the control of a controller that may be remotely programmed such as by using an Internet browser.
2. Description of the Related Art
It has been speculated, in the prior art, that in the future homes will contain automation and intelligent appliances. Such home automation systems may allow people to engage their house as an active partner such as by using automated house components under the control of one or more controllers. These controllers may be linked together in many ways as will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the computer arts, by way of example and not limitation using semi-autonomous processors, central controllers, and the like. A controller may receive signals from controlling input devices and use those signals to control relevant appliances and systems in the house.
Controlled devices in a prior art home automation system are typically assigned distinct addresses so that when a signal is sent such as through power lines, only those switches and receptacles with the designated address will respond while others will ignore it. One such method uses X-10 protocols, which are protocols that may be used in power line communication technology. X-10 protocols may be used to communicate a range of controls, namely ON, OFF, DIM, BRIGHT, ALL LIGHTS ON and ALL UNITS OFF. More complex operations often require a plurality of X-10 controllers.
The simplest X-10 transmitter is a control box with buttons, not unlike a typical prior art remote control. When pressed, the X-10 controller's buttons provide for signaling a specific unit to be controlled and additionally indicate which control function is to be communicated. The X-10 controller may comprise clock timers, preset to transmit at specific times or triggered under special, recognizable circumstances such as sunrise or sunset, or movement. The simplest X-10 receiver is a small module with an electric plug that is hooked on to a standard wall outlet to create a “smart receptacle” that provides controlled power to any device that is connected to it.
Additionally, alternative products such as the CEBus manufactured by GE-Smart, a joint venture of GE Industrial Systems of Fairfield, Conn. and SMART of Las Cruces, N. Mex. (http://www.ge-smart.com) and LonWorks manufactured by Echelon Corporation of Sunnyvale, Calif. (http://www.ecehlon.com) provide additional protocol support that can be used with or as an alternative to X-10 technology. Numerous appliance vendors such as Philips Electronics have also contributed to a standard that will allow to link all of a home's electrical appliances into a single network. The standard may allow appliances such as computers, televisions, stereos and other electrical appliances to communicate with one another, such as by using TCP/IP protocols to provide appliances with an “Internet address.”
By way of example and not limitation, U.S. Ser. No. 09/715,364, filed Nov. 17, 2000 for Pieter van der Meulen (“van der Meulen '064”)), for an INTELLIGENT APPLIANCE HOME NETWORK, fully incorporated by reference herein, describes a set of consumer devices that can be used in automated home systems. Systems comprising automated and intelligent appliances may incorporate alarm systems as well as status monitors and controllers for lights, motors, or appliances. Intelligent appliances may further provide mechanisms for bi-directional communications including the ability to receive commands and transmit status alerts.
Some manufacturers have begun marketing intelligent appliances such as Ariston Digital appliances manufactured by Merloni Electtrodomestisci of Italy. One such appliance by Merloni Electtrodomestisci is an “intelligent oven” comprising remote-control cooking programs and built-in Internet access for recipes.
Additionally, various systems and methods are known for automating some of the cooking process. U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,713 to Backus et al. for a “Pasta, Pastry, Cookie and Hors D'oeuvre Maker” teaches a device having an automatic measuring cup that can mix and extrude various ingredients including pastas and the like. U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,023 to Acknin et al. for a “Mechanized Food Manufacturing Process” teaches a device for manufacturing foods using food materials held in specific sachets. Some patents teach the use of dry food ingredients contained in a bag for further processing, such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,550,653 to Hedenberg, U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,840 to Hedenberg, U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,086 to Hedenberg, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,113 to Yung.
Additionally, some publications also teach use of data communications such as over a telephone connection to initialize an appliance. U.S. Pat. No. 5,600,711 to Yuen is illustrative.
None of the publications teaches or suggests an appliance that has access to cooking materials, such as rice or pasta as well as a liquid such as water, under the control of, e.g., a residential home gateway server, to automatically deliver user-selected portions of the food material and liquid to a cooking area. None of the publications teaches or suggests an appliance that has access to a residential home gateway server where the residential home gateway server is in communication with a remote device for entering information comprising servings requested and time of day to start preparation. None of the publications teaches or suggests an automatic cooking device capable of automatically retrieving and preparing food on a per serving basis. None of the publications teaches or suggests an automatic cooking device capable of automatically retrieving and preparing food on a per serving basis after receiving instructions to do so from a remote device such as a remote controller, a computer, or via the Internet.